Caliber
by 8belles
Summary: This is the season after B&B came back from their breakup and Iraq. Hannah appears here as well as mortal peril... but to whom? Written in 2010.


"The caliber is military.", Hodgins said softly as Bones, Booth and the rest of the squint crew leaned in to hear.

Tempe looked at Booth and his eyes had a mixture of icy steel and incredulity in them at the same time. She watched him swallow carefully, " So, what kind of military ordinance?"

Hodgins scrutinized his shoes for millennia before he answered a man he knew would not take the news well. " It is a sniper bullet."

Booth pulled away and stalked off a few paces from the crowd, his hand angrily wiping his chin, brow deep in thought. Bones observed him carefully but did not rush to his side because she knew his state of mind and it would just frustrate him if she touched him now. No sooner she crystallized that thought, then Hannah burst in all blonde curls and bubbles.

Booth didn't even look at her at the bottom of the stairs. She was unable to enter the examination area because she lacked clearance and for once there was an invisible, physical separation between them. Tempe took a quite smile at that fact.

"Booth? What's up with you! Looks like someone just told you your puppy died.", Hannah called from the bottom of the stairs near the card reader. The security officer cut her a sideway glance. "Booth?"

Finally he looked up but it was not in relief at seeing her. Instead of saying hello, he pivoted towards Bones and said," I'll call you later." Briskly, he jogged off down the stairs and breezed past Hannah. Her shocked expression was worth a thousand words.

Brennan approached, expression friendly but neutral and when she arrived at the bottom of the stairs she realized how much she was still bruised from her conversation with Booth just the other week as she looked at the woman he said was not his "consolation prize". " Hello Hannah.", Temp said.

Hannah blinked, still gazing where Booth had just breezed by before turning towards Tempe and her azure, bottomless gaze, " What was that about?"

Brennan folded her hands in front of her carefully, " We just discovered that we have a sniper, military grade, murdering people." She paused, " Booth was a sniper."

Hannah collected herself some, " Yeah, I know. He told me in Iraq."

Brennan wondered how much he did tell her compared to what she knew of his guilt and conflict from his sniper days.

" Sounds like a story to me.", Hannah's eyes sparkled conspiratorially seemingly shaking off her blow by from Booth.

" We do not have all the evidence and so we cannot make any conclusions.", Tempe answered evenly. She had a feeling if Hannah started to poke around in places she was not welcome that it could not be well for her relationship with Booth.

" I'll try to dig up some for you.", she replied with a buddy to buddy wink.

" Well, I doubt any evidence is subterranean.", Tempe answered back as Hannah was turning to leave.

" You are just so funny, Tempe.", her voice was a chuckle as her bouncy blonde curls disappeared around the corner.

Angela appeared next to Brennan but didn't startle her, " She doesn't know him does she?"

" No. No she does not, Angela.", Tempe said with a tinge of sadness to her voice for both herself and Seeley.

Booth threw his keys in the dish at the entry hall and unconsciously tugged at his tie to loosen it. Despite releasing that pressure, it still felt like someone had a choke hold on his larynx. How could a civilian get military issued ordinance?, his head spun, or was it a Ranger sniper? No, he ordered himself not to think that. Rangers had integrity, honor and were soldiers of caliber. Caliber….caliber… how?, he puzzled deeply as he rolled the glass of scotch in his hand he had poured without realizing it.

So deep in thought he didn't hear the door open a few moments later and another set of keys plink into the dish besides his. Hannah reached forward and started to wrap her arms around his shoulders from behind when he jumped up and ducked out of the embrace, looking a bit undone. She abruptly stopped, never seeing that panic in his eyes before. The glass of liquor hit the floor as if in slow motion and a crash, which shocked them out of this awkward situation.

Booth looked at the broken glass as his chest heaved in his surprise. The gun shot scar on his chest ached slightly. He never told her how he got that one, defending Bones from the crazed obsessive karaoke performer. "Whoa, Seeley.", Hannah breathed softly, " I didn't mean to scare you. "

Seeley inhaled carefully and slicked his hand through his hair, " No… no I was just thinking." He moved off to get a towel to clean up the broken glass.

" Penny for your thoughts?", she inquired as he moved around in the kitchen looking for a towel. She picked up the pieces of glass and headed for the trashcan.

Booth remained silent as he mopped up the scotch from the floor. He heard the glass go into the trash and as he turned around, Hannah was right there. " Seeley, I can't help you if you won't talk to me.", she said a tinge of steel in her voice.

The smell of liquor rose between them, " I'm ok. Just busy.", he deflected.

" No you're not. It's about that sniper isn't it?", she said doggedly as he passed by her into the kitchen again.

Seeley crossed the floor back to her in two steps and dangerously close to her. Hannah took an involuntary step back. " Did Bones tell you anything? Any new news?", he said in a rush. His brown eyes were almost black.

Hannah swallowed half out of surprise and a hint of fear, " No. No news. She just mentioned there was a serial killer sniper out there.", she said carefully measuring her tone, " He is probably military trained." She added as an afterthought.

" No! I just cannot accept that.", Seeley burst out, backing off and pacing across the room away from her. Hannah realized she was holding her breath.

" Why not? Because you were a sniper?", Hannah decided to probe, her journalistic skills awakening.

" Exactly. We just didn't do… we don't do those kinds of things.", Seeley said hands raised above his head, clasped together behind his scalp.

" Tell me about it.", Hannah plopped herself on the couch expecting a great story.

" I can't.", he said, glancing at her briefly and then back to the wall.

" Why not? It's part of you… part of us.", Hannah responded looking at Seeley with an affectionate expression.

" It's part of me. Not us.", Booth bit back as if he was trying to hold back a tide of emotions with the last of his emotions.

" You told her, though, didn't you?", Hannah said quietly.

"Bones?". Booth asked evenly, although he knew who she meant. That had become a bone of contention between them lately.

Hannah cocked her head at him in acknowledgement.

" I'm not going to lie to you Hannah. Yes. I've told her just about everything there is to me. ", he replied but with no bitterness towards her. He still made no move towards her although he could tell by her posture and face that she really wanted him to hold her right then.

" Good. Then you can just keep telling her what you want.", Hannah got up and grabbed her coat and keys and left, loudly closing the door behind her.

Booth stared at the floor after the slamming sound ceased. Yes, she was the one person he could tell everything to, but why couldn't he tell Hannah?

The call came in the middle of the night, just like they always do. The cell phone chirped Booth's tone and Tempe was wondering, half awake, why he was calling her. They were already on a case so short of another murder, there would be no reason for him to bug her at this hour.

She rolled over ungracefully and grabbed the phone," Brennan."

" Bones!", his voice was unnecessarily happy sounding for this hour, " Bones…" his tone quieted as if he too realized he shouldn't be so exuberant to hear her voice.

" Yes, Seeley. That is my nickname..", she commented dryly resting her head against the pillow, secretly happy to her his voice, " What do you need?"

"Umm… oh actually nothing, really.", he stammered and she could see his blush through the phone.

" Where is Hannah?", she asked as neutrally as she could not believing that she'd be lying beside him while he called her.

There was a significant pause and then a sigh, " She's not here."

Brennan sat up in bed, " Are you ok?"

" Yeah, I'm just agitated. This case….", he whispered in a tight voice.

" I understand. Do you want to meet somewhere for coffee?", she offered.

" No… no. I just need to get to sleep. Sorry for waking you.", he said detached.

" You can call me any time Seeley.", she replied as gently as she could, " You know you can."

" I know. Thanks.", he replied and hung up.

On opposite sides of town, two people lay in bed staring at the ceilings of their homes wondering why life has to be so…. Complicated.

Morning dawned grey and raining which did nothing to boost Seeley's spirits. Hannah had not called about her whereabouts, and he was worried about her. He wasn't sorry for what he said, it was the truth. Ok, Honest Abe… look where telling the truth got you, he chided himself as he shaved and then glanced at his cell. No new messages. He had texted her about an hour before asking her to come home or at least know where was but there was no response. He could sense this was the first of many hurdles in their relationship. The honeymoon phase was coming to a close. Without skipping a beat, he finished his morning routine and set his mind to the case: a rogue sniper.

The lab was humming with work, squints running hither and thither and the image of Santa's workshop popped into his head. Then he saw Bones and the image vanished, partly because she was holding a skull.

" Booth, good morning.", she said to him as he approached up the stairs. She saw the dark circles under his eyes and knew he didn't sleep much last night, despite his claim he would get some. Booth smiled briefly and looked down at the skull in her hands.

A small hole in the forehead, a large re-constructed patchwork of fragments behind greeted his eyes, classic entry and exit wounds for a high power caliber weapon. He could hear the pitter patter of the rain on the skylights above them but couldn't bring himself to speak as he looked at the victim. By now even he could tell female from male skulls. This was a woman.

" We have been hard at work, Booth.", Tempe sensed his hesitation to speak. " We know the identity of the victim now from Angela's reconstruction and now she is working on the trajectories of the bullet."

" Just like the JFK case?", Seeley unfroze his jaw and replied, but his smile was half hearted.

Tempe paused, " Yes. Something like that. We learned a lot from that one."

" Good work.", he said and then he turned to leave, " I'm going to scout out some hunches.", he said.

" Be safe.", she called after him. He turned back once and smiled a wider grin as if he was glad to hear someone was concerned about his whereabouts

He had a file of ex-Ranger snipers with slightly unhinged personality profiles and he flipped through them at his desk. Quickly he eliminated several because they were either in hospitals for psychiatric reasons, happily moved on into civilian life or dead. Deep in thought, he didn't look up until he smelled her perfume.

Hannah sat in one of his chairs, long legs crossed and her eyes smoldering like ashes from a hot fire. Thunderclouds hung over her head like they do on a horizon in summer.

Seeley sat up and pushed his desk chair back slightly, " Hannah, you had me worried last night."

" Yes, well there are some things I guess I don't tell you either. ", she replied, her voice a sharp dagger.

Booth sighed feeling a tension headache crawling its insidious way up his neck into his skull," Look, Hannah…. It's not that I don't trust you or love you, but I just think it's too early to tell you literally everything about my life. "

" Oh, you're an ogre with layers?", she snarked back, " I'm ready to hear anything you have to say, Seeley. That really hurt last night."

" Are you bothered by Bones?", he decided to go on the offensive.

" No.", she said curtly.

" I believe you are lying.", he replied gazing into the tempest, " Hannah, Bones and I are partners. Things could have…. Would have been different, but she made a choice and there is no going back. All I know and have is you."

Hannah's expression softened slightly but he could tell she was still cautious," Fine. I'll see you at home."

" I love you.", he said to her back as she left. She moved on without looking back.

An inner voice said to him, Ranger, you won the battle, but have yet to win the war. He agreed with himself. This was going to take some time, and they he returned to his profiles.

The team worked on for the next week with no new breaks, but there were also no new bodies, which was a relief. What did start to happen were cryptic letters being sent to the Jeffersonian and FBI about the murders and they were getting personal. Sweets spent much of his time analyzing the messages for who wrote them and their motives. It was a daunting task and he grew frustrated with the work.

Hannah had been cool towards Seeley and then abruptly declared that she was going to stay with a friend for a few days. She had told him that she had asked her editor to be assigned to this case for the paper. The editor had agreed wholeheartedly looking forward to one of her brilliant pieces that were sure to draw a ton of readers, but Booth was highly annoyed with her choice.

They had fought about personal boundaries and the media. They argued about how this case was overwhelming their relationship and intruding on their personal lives. Hannah said she just wanted some information: Seeley said he felt she didn't respect his personal life. The argument was intense and so she moved out, temporarily she said. Booth didn't know what to say. He'd never been dumped or strung along by a relationship and he didn't like the way it felt but he also felt that if he drew a line she'd just walk across it and leave forever.

Tempe observed this all as if she was privy to each verbal blow because they both wore their hearts on their sleeves. Hannah and she had coffee together shortly after she had moved out.

" Tempe! I am so glad to see you. It's been too long.", Hannah said and stood to give Bones a sisterly hug.

" I know you've been busy.", Brennan replied.

Hannah rolled her eyes and chuckled but Bones saw the agony in her expression, " You have no idea."

Actually, I do, Bones thought.

" Tell me about it.", Bones offered to listen although she had already heard it from Booth.

Hannah was a bit more crafty though, " Temperance, how long have you known Seeley?"

Brennan sipped her coffee meeting Hannah's icy eyes which were intently focused on her at the moment. This was not idle chit chat. " I have known Booth for almost eight years. We worked a case together before we were partners. We'd cross each other's paths from time to time before we were connected at work.", Tempe answered warmly but neutral.

Hannah looked out the window briefly and then back on Bones, " That's a long time to know someone… closely." The steam curled up from her coffee and wound its way around Tempe's face. To Hannah, it reminded her of some evil Disney antagonist. She shook the vision off because this was Tempe, right? She was no threat to her and Booth, but why did it feel that way?

"I have heard from Sweets that strong personal bonds can be formed during dangerous situations, such as combat.", Tempe returned.

Hannah opened her mouth but then closed it, instead choosing a smile, " Well then you know each other well. I've heard a few stories about your adventures together."

Now it was Brennan's time to smile, " Did he tell you how I found him in the bath tub reading a comic book and sipping beer through a completely inane helmet-like devise?"

" You've seen him naked!", Hannah gasped.

" And I've been to his funeral.", Brennan replied, thinking this was a great woman to woman dialogue.

Hannah stood up abruptly , her chair scraping nosily across the floor, " Temperance, I need to go. Sorry, forgot I have an appointment to meet."

Before Temperance could say good bye, Hannah walked out briskly. If I was not mistaken, I think I just made her mad, Tempe thought to herself. Briefly she was reminded of her high school days where she'd think she was getting on well in a conversation only to find out she was pushing people away with her forthrightness. She watched Hannah speed across the intersection and disappear around a corner when her phone rang. It was Booth.

" Bones!". he sounded a little more happy than usual.

Brennan felt a little sorry for Booth knowing how upset Hannah had been with him lately, " Yes?"

" We have a break on the sniper case. One of the letters Sweets cracked and gave us a location for the hide out of this freak.", she could hear the grin through his voice. "

" Great! I'll be right there to go with you.", she said excited to be finally doing something.

" No.", was Booth's reply.

" Oh no… why not?", Brenna replied, her brows beetling into a frown.

" It's too dangerous. If this guy is a sniper, he could be anywhere with his rifle and I don't want you to get hurt.",

" What if Hannah wanted to come?", Brennan asked.

There was a stunned silence for a moment," No. No to both of you."

" Ok Booth. See you later.", Brennan didn't argue but instead hung up and then dialed Hannah's number.

If Hollywood would have written the ideal hideout for a rogue sniper who was a serial killer, it would not be here. The quiet street filled with classic brownstone and Victorian row houses was the location Booth found himself. Suddenly he was not so sure about Sweet's ability to profile criminals because this just didn't fit the bill.

He pulled his SUV into a tight fitting street spot and got out of the car. Booth felt out the place with his instincts and got no bad vibes so he casually strolled up the street towards the house Sweets had told him would be the residence. The lawn was neatly cut, bushes trimmed and pain updated, he noted. Not looking like the place a murderer would live.

Two familiar profiles approached. Hannah and Bones, almost arm in arm, walked casually towards him. Booth's jaw almost dropped but instead he picked up his pace, changed his direction slightly so that when he intercepted them he turned them away from the suspects address.

" What in God's name are you doing here!?", he hissed at both women. Hannah threw her hair over one shoulder and eyed him with a mix of amusement and revenge.

" Two girls just can't resist an adventure!", she cooed sweetly," And this we can share together!" she added for extra emphasis.

Seeley narrowed his eyes at her, " This is not Iraq, Hannah. We don't have body armor here. Are you out of your mind!"

" It was my idea Booth.", Bones commented.

Seeley turned on her on the opposite side, " Ok, usually I trust your intellect and ability to make judgments, but you really failed this time."

Temperance held his gaze for a moment about to speak a clever retort until she noticed a floating red dot on Booth's chest. " Laser!", she yelled and tackled Booth to the ground as a loud CRACK pealed out from above.

Hannah saw, or thought she saw, in slow motion the bullet cruise past her nose and heading straight for Booth's heart when a blur passed in front of him and he was out of the way heading to the ground. She just stood in awe of the situation.

As Seeley fell, he withdrew his gun, returning fire towards the direction of the shot and didn't stop till his shoulder impacted the asphalt of the ground. When his clip was expired, he realized that Bones hadn't just pushed him out of the way, but that she had been struck by the round.

Bones lay on the ground, face down, her cheek cushioned by her hand, as if she were sleeping on her belly in bed. Her hair was tousled about her carelessly and her eyes were peacefully closed. The only disturbing detail was the pool of red liquid forming beneath her. Hannah stood frozen in place. She had seen horrible things in combat: decapitations, mutilations, ritual stoning but those all were strangers, people she did not know. But this was a friend, and most of all Booth's beloved partner. A voice shocked her out of her daze. "Bones! Oh God! Oh God..", Booth has picked himself up off the pavement like lightening, reloading his gun unconsciously as he went to his stricken partner. Hannah saw his face, a mask of love, pain, regret all twisted together as he gently flipped Bones over and moved her behind a car out of the sniper's reach. Hannah followed by example and crouched down near both of them, but no too close because the raw emotional pain was too intense between them. Not even seeing troops on warfronts beg God not to take their comrade in arms after a battle was this intense. There he cradled her like a lover would in his lap, and talked like gunfire on his cell phone for back up and an ambulance.

" Come on Bones, don't leave me!", he begged as the stain continued to get bigger and saturate her clothes and paint his hands crimson. Hot tears sprang to his eyes as he rocked her to him and then released her to see if there was some hope beyond hope.

Her eyes flickered open for a moment and in a barely audible whisper she said, " Don't be sad."

" Why, Bones? Why!", he whispered back to her.

" I… was trying to get you back with…. Hannah.", Bones replied and her eyes gently closed as she struggled to breathe. The pallor of her skin was alarming.

Booth suddenly remembered Hannah was there, but couldn't bring himself to look at her when his partner, his real love lay dying in his arms.

" No, don't do this to me, Temperance. Don't… ever leave me!", he cried agonizing tears as the sirens approached.

The EMT's took Tempe away, mechanically inserting tubes, administering drugs and applying bandages. The EMT looked back at Booth and asked him if he needed a ride. Booth still sat on the ground looking at his hands covered in Bones' blood so Hannah spoke for the first time in what seemed eternity," No, I'll bring him." The EMT nodded and jumped into the ambulance as they tore off lights flashing.

Police and FBI showed up as well and an agent from Booth's office asked him a few questions to which Booth answered numbly, not even rising from the ground where he had sheltered them behind the car, his clothes saturated with blood.

A higher ranking agent stopped by and when he saw the state that Booth was in, he was told to take the rest of the week off for administrative leave. Hannah nodded at the agent, whom she didn't know, and helped Booth up off the ground. He was still silent and she felt like she was talking to a stranger, " Let's get you cleaned up before we go to the hospital."

Seeley mutely nodded as he was lead to the SUV. Hannah drove to their apartment as quickly as she could without using the sirens on board.

Hannah guided him to the bathroom and said to let her know when he was done. After several minutes of no sounds, she knocked and peeked in. There he stood just as she had left him a few moments before staring blankly into the mirror. Hannah had never seen him look so old and frail. " Seeley, do you need help?", she asked.

He blinked slowly and then looked at her. She could see the pain in his face about Brennan and about them. It was over and any woman alive would see it. It hurt her deeply to see that in his face but she took the high road because she was better than that and Seeley would always be a friend. " No, thanks.", he said quietly and began to disrobe. She nodded and close the door again on more than just the bathroom.

The sound of the shower hid the tears Hannah cried for her lost relationship and the hurt that Booth was feeling. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, hair damp from the shower, all traces of blood gone, she just couldn't feel the lust she used to for him. That was now part of the past.

He shuffled quietly by and got dressed and Hannah cleaned herself up, ready to chauffeur him to the hospital. Booth reappeared smelling of soap and hair gel in a t-shirt and jeans, while Hannah picked up her purse. He put a hand on her arm, " Hannah, you don't have to come."

She looked at his warm brown eyes, now older and blood shot looking, " No Seeley. She's a friend of mine too." She wanted to add more but thought it not the time or place.

Booth wrapped his arms around her in a tender embrace, the kind that usually lead up to a kiss, some bed time and declarations of love and commitment but she knew that would not come today. Seeley placed a small kiss on the top of her head and held her there for a moment as if this was his way of saying goodbye to their relationship. Hannah drank in every moment because it was to be her last.

The drive to the hospital was silent. The elevator ride to the ICU was silent. Everything was silent.

Booth went to Bone's bedside and his face brightened some to see her still on this side of the grave. Hannah stood outside the room watching Seeley gently pick up Brennan's hand and stroke it tenderly while he gazed at her. Almost reflexively , she placed her palm on the glass of the ICU suite. She was on the outside looking in which was true in more than one way. Suddenly she wondered, why wasn't she the one in that bed? Or dead, which, compared to the way she felt like now, would be a blessing.

Tempe's hand was cold and pale. Her hair spread neatly on either side of her face framing her alabaster skin. Beeps, whooshes and rattles were quietly monitoring her and Seeley was speechless as he watched her.

" This is weird, Bones.", he felt compelled to say finally just to break the monotony of hospital sounds, " I am usually the one banged up." He frowned, " No this is wrong. I should be the one. I'm your… hero."

Seeley sat in contemplation for a while longer and a thought crystallized in his mind, " Temperance, I can't live without you." He swallowed as if nervous but he couldn't figure out what for, " I…. we made a mistake last year. I courted you wrong, you pushed me away. We should be… together."

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. He smelled Hannah's soft floral perfume and slowly closed his eyes thinking this is the worst day of his and every body's life.

" And could you say those words to her face when she was awake?", Hannah couldn't hide the hard edge to her voice.

" Hannah…" Booth turned his face towards her, but still held Brennan's hand.

" No… no Seeley. I know you and her share things I'll never know or understand. We had a great thing in Iraq…", she began to choke and paused to collect herself, but her eyes still glistened with tears. Seeley wished he was a POW again being tortured than here at this moment, " And we had a great thing here. But I can see that if you didn't have her, you'd always regret it and… honestly, I think I deserve better."

She blinked and a single tear fell down her cheek.

" I am so sorry, Hannah. I never meant to lead you on or be anything less than honest with you. ", Booth replied to her and released Tempe's hand to stand up and look Hannah in the eye. Her lip quivered and she clenched her jaw to stop it.

" It's ok Seeley. Just do the next woman a favor and tell her how you feel to her face.", she tried a tiny, wan smile but then stopped, " I'll be getting my things and going."

" Hannah… ", Seeley called after her.

She pivoted to look at him," No, I don't need any help. She does."

Booth stood, shoulders slumped and deflated. He felt like a heel and added this to one more regret on his list of them.

Hannah strode forward quickly so that he wouldn't see her face contort with the pain of the breakup. Her fast walk turned to a brisk run to the front door of the hospital to call a cab. Her heels clacked out a steady staccato like her racing heart. She really thought he was the one, the one to make her settle down and be domestic. Her mother was so happy she had found someone who didn't jet set off to see the world although he still put himself in mortal danger from time to time. When she met Parker and talked to him, she could see parenting this young boy to adulthood using her worldly experience to guide him to the right path instead of making some of the mistakes she made in her youth. And he was so handsome, just like his dad.

But that was done now. It was done. A single bullet of military caliber had closed that door and she felt the winds of the world calling her name.

Wiping her eyes, she flicked open her cell phone and made a call back to the press corps covering the front lines in Iraq. Yes, the hot sands and danger, she thought half lying to herself, that will make me feel better. I can get out of this depressing atmosphere.

Seeley turned back to Temperance's bed. She had not changed, moved or showed any outward sign of knowing what had just transpired at her bedside. Booth felt terribly alone.

" Hey G-man. Looks like you need someone.", Cam's warm voice floated in and she stood next to him at Tempe's bedside.

" I blew it Cam.", he sighed, " I blew it with you and now I've messed it up with Hannah and Bones."

Cam let the dust settle from that admission and then wrapped her arm around his in a comforting squeeze, " No. You didn't mess it up. You have finally realize all this time what you were looking for."

" But I've hurt so many.", he almost sobbed.

Cam looked at him firmly, but kindly, " Seeley, if you can find a way to tip toe through this world without tripping on your face and eating dirt from time to time, I'd love to know your secret."

Booth smiled briefly," Yeah, but if I had not been so blind, so callus, so… stupid!"

Cam put a finger to his lips to silence him, " Yes, but now you know your mission and your objective."

He nodded in acceptance of her statement because he knew it to be true. They both looked at Tempe in her bed. " Will she be ok?", he asked her.

" Nothing time and a little TLC won't help with a dash of modern medicine.", Cam replied but then she got serious, " You know she should be dead. The surgeons were amazed she hadn't bled out when she got here."

Booth looked strongly at Cam and then upward at the ceiling, thanking God or whatever miraculous forces helped her arrive here safe. He could hear Brennan complaining that he was a superstitious old fool and it almost made him smile.

" Did we catch the sniper?", Booth asked next.

Cam frowned in displeasure, " No, but we have some more clues pointing us to him. We'll get him Seeley. You know that. We always get them."

" I know. ", he said and then looked back at Bones. " I know."

Bones opened her eyes very slowly, not sure what she would find on the other side of her eyelids. Was she dead? Where was she? Her ears and other senses filled in her initial confusion that she was at a hospital so her worries subsided slightly. She felt a warm hand holding hers and noticed that it was larger and heavier than her own and the skin was also thicker. Booth?

Light seeped in between the cracks and it was not as bad as she thought. It was a nightlight above her bed, but the rest of the room was delightfully dark. She barely had the strength to look in the direction of the person holding her hand but she was determined to try.

Seeley dozed in what would probably be described by Angela as the "old man pose"; head back, mouth wide open, a tiny trail of drool escaping while he snored. But he was not asleep deeply and when he heard the pillow rustle he was instantly awake.

A huge smile broke over his face and his eyes grew luminous with joy, " Bones!"

Tempe also tried a smile but found her mouth and throat dry. She hoarsely whispered, "Water?"

Seeley jumped up like a rocket and got her a pink hospital issue cup with the crimped straw, the kind he loved to get as a kid, and filled it to the brim. Bringing it to her, he held it while she sipped. The cool water felt good to her parched mouth and when she was done, she sighed. Booth removed the cup.

Brennan still felt incredibly weak, although the doctors transfused her with over ten pints of blood. Seeley had seen the nurse unhook the last just the other day saying that she was through the woods and wouldn't need anymore. Judging by her coloring, he was highly doubtful, but didn't argue with the medical professionals.

" How long?", she said softly.

" About five days.", Seeley replied, his eyes darkening with worry. He was so scared those last five days that he had almost forgotten about his heartbreak.

" Sniper?", she queried, frowning slightly.

" Not yet. We got some prints, a few personal items and ammunition but not the person. He left quickly after he shot you and has gone underground.", Seeley said with an edge but then turned his tone positive, " But we'll catch him, you and I, once you're all mended up."

" Hannah ok too?", Temperance asked, her eyes showing she genuinely worried about the wellbeing of his girlfriend.

" Yes…. And no.", Booth looked away from her and then to the floor between his feet.

" What?", she was getting tired again and her voice was barely audible.

Seeley heard Hannah's voice again, " _And could you say those words to her face when she was awake_?" He felt her finger tips brush his hand and so he looked up, his eyes moist," I don't want to overwhelm you right now but there is something I need to say.", he studied her face and she looked at him to continue, "Temperance, I think we have both made a huge mistake." Bone's eyes narrowed as he could see her mind was processing quickly and waited for him to state his point, " Last year, I was too fast. I had all these years of feelings pent up inside me, bursting to get out.", he paused, " And so when I told you that we should 'go for it', I overwhelmed you."

Brennan watched him carefully as he wiped a tear away, " I… I have loved you since the first day we met, even before we kissed the first time. I think now that you will have no regrets not having the love you deserve. You didn't miss your chance. I am here now and always will be." He reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers, " Will you be there for me?"

Brennan fought for consciousness, her brain clawing against the biochemical tide that was telling her to rest and pull her back under into black oblivion. Here was her chance, her last chance ever to have the love she finally realized she needed! And yes, yes… she would be there for him always, but she needed to say it but couldn't.

Booth watched her tenderly as her eyes drooped lower and finally closed. That was a lot for her to digest in one sitting still being not well and he knew that. She looked so lovely and at peace that he knew in his heart if she could have, she would have spoken a yes to his question. From this day on, no regrets.

== The End.

Letters lead them out to location. Lazer sight, booth takes hit tempe there, Hannah not. They break up. .


End file.
